....volunteered for flying training in 1941 and graduated from Kelly Field with the class of 42C as a second lieutenant. Following assignment as
an instructor pilot at Randolph Field he was
transferred to Stewart Field, United States
Military Academy, West Point. He was one of
fifty in the original cadre of instructors to
teach basic, advanced and fighter training to
West Point cadets. With the graduation of the
first class with wings in June of 1943,
Lieutenant Jackson volunteered for combat
duty. Assigned to the 407th Fighter Bomber
Group, he flew A-36's, P-51's and P-47's.

First licensed Woman Flight Instructor in 1939.
Taught Flight and Ground Instruction at
Tumak Aviation Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
until she received a telegram from General
"Hap" Arnold September 1942 requesting
her to report to 2nd Ferrying Division,
Wilmington, Delaware for a flight check.
Teresa was one of the "elite corps" of
Twenty-five women pilots selected for experimentation to fly all types of Army Aircraft. Known as W.A.F.S. (Womens Auxiliary Ferrying Sqd.) they were forerunners of
W.A.S.P. (Womens Air Force Service
Pilots).

The Ninth Air Force flew some escort missions but the primary objective was close air support in support of Gen. Patton's 3rd
Army. The 511th sqdn. on D-30 arrived at
Picaville, France with subsequent (A-8,) at
A-14, Creteville; A-64, St. Dizier and during
the BULGE to Y-32 in Belgium, in support of
the 1st US ARMY. He flew 95 missions and
was Squadron Operations Officer at the time
of rotation (4th of May 1945).

He flew 110 missions prior to being returned to
the United States for R&R with orders to
return to his unit after thirty days leave in
the Zone of Interior. He flew an additional
45 missions during his second tour with the
66th Fighter Squadron accumulating a total
of 155 missions in the P-47. He was awarded
the Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak
Leaf Cluster and the Air Medal with eight
Oak Leaf Clusters.

He was assigned to the 514th Squadron
of the 406th Fighter Group then stationed at
Munster, Germany. While flying with the
Squadron, only four days following the cessation of hostilities, Jewell had the questionable opportunity to use the skids of his Jug
thanks to a terminally ill main bearing.
Picked up by our British friends, he enjoyed
their hospitality for over a week including an
assigned Bat-Boy.

We went to IWO JIMA,
where my first flight was on the 27th of July,
1945. The next day I flew local, testing a
belly tank for use in our long range flights to
Japan. My first (and only) flight to Japan was
to Takamatsu on August eighth, 1945. We
carried rockets against ground targets, no
enemy aircraft sighted. These very long
range VLR missions were from ten to eleven
hours long. Fortunately, the Jug N cockpit
was roomy and we sat on inflated wheel-chair
cushion tubes on top of that dinghy.

March 1943, first combat west of Tripoli,
Libya (Mareth Line); close support for the
British Eighth Army. 165 missions later
(Tunisia, Sicily, Italy), and after a short trip
Stateside, Capt. J. T. was appointed Cmdr
316th (Hell's Belles) Sqdn - early Nov.
1944, Dole-Tavaux, France.
First duty was to check out in a new P-47,
#70. The cockpit was so quiet, compared to
a P-40, it was unnerving.

In late January 1943 I reported to Decatur, Illinois since I had signed up for the cadet program at Scott Field, Illinois was shipped
back to St. Louis, Missouri (Jefferson Barracks) the same day. Weathered the winter of '43 in the World War I type barracks, the worst two months of
my life. Was sent to the university of Missouri
at Columbia for C.T.D. After five enjoyable
months went to San Antonio, Texas for classification and basic ground training.

Colonel Johnson entered military service
as a cadet in the United States Army Air Corps
on 25 February 1943. He graduated from
Flight Training on 14 April 1944, at Luke
Field, Phoenix, Arizona. He served in the
European Theatre in 1944-1945 as a fighter
pilot with the 50th Fighter Group and the
81st Fighter Squadron. He was credited with
four aerial victories and one of the first
American pilots to shoot down a German ME-262 jet fighter while flying an American
P-47 Thunderbolt.

With 311th Fighter Squadron, 58th Group, flew 114 combat
missions in New Guinea and Philippine
Islands primarily in support of ground forces.
Dive, skip and napalm bombing along with
extensive strafing of ground targets, including an enemy naval task force (for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross)
made up most of the missions. Shot down one
twin engine enemy aircraft for which he was
awarded another Oak Leaf Cluster to the Air
Medal.